Category Breakfast

Raspberry Drop Scone Pancakes

Y

ou can knock out a batch of this batter in 5 minutes and on the table in 15 so it really isn’t a big commitment breakfast but a great one for a hungry family or group of friends over brunch especially if you’re running low on ingredients as this call for only 2 eggs!

If you make the recipe plain you can serve with a variety of toppings to suit both the sweet and savoury palate! If you serve without the American diner style heart attack toppings, pancakes don’t have to be unhealthy! With some fresh fruit, yoghurt and a touch of honey, they are just perfect and super light.

Serving suggestions:

  • Greek yoghurt, honey, fresh fruit
  • Bacon & syrup
  • Cheddar cheese, baked beans, crispy bacon
  • Blueberries, honey, cinnamon sugar, yoghurt
  • Lemon juice, sugar, raspberries
  • Poached eggs, avocado, Tabasco

Makes 20-30 (Adapted from Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall

  • 250g self raising flour (wholemeal for added flavour)
  • Pinch baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon (leave out if making savoury)
  • 25g caster sugar (omit and replace with grated cheese for a savoury option)
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 270ml milk
  • 50g melted butter
  • Raspberries (optional – use any other berry, chopped into pieces if needed)
  1. Sieve flour, cinnamon, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl and mix.
  2. Add the egg and half the milk and mix gently to make a thick batter.
  3. Add the rest of the milk and the melted butter.
  4. Whisk well to combine.
  5. Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium high heat and add a knob of butter or dash of oil.
  6. Drop a large spoonful into the hot pan – my pan managed about 3 pancakes per batch.
  7. Allow the batter to form a nice crust on the bottom. Bubbles should start to form on the surface of the pancake after a minute or so. At this point scatter some berries over the top.
  8. Next, flip your drop scones! Allow another minute or so on the other side and then remove from the pan to a warm plate.
  9. Complete again using the batter.

Serve with syrup, lemon juice, jam, knob of butter or a dusting of more cinnamon/sugar as you like!

Green Shakshuka

I

 say this a lot but what a dish. A new favourite. Please make it. Breakfast, lunch or dinner appropriate. It thus needs little said about it (added to the fact I was back at work today after a two week holiday and I’m feeling a bit tired for “words”). I love shakshuka but I also love my greens. This combination of sweet, slowly cooked leeks, fresh crisp pea crunch and subtle spice and chilli in the background is such a comforting mix. Topped classically with feta and unclassically with dill and sumac. Ottolenghi would be proud. Luckily since I’ve detoured from his new book on this one.

Its my Mum’s birthday today so I cooked with her in mind as I often do as she is ultimately where I learnt my craft. This weekend I will return home for birthday hugs and to cook her a birthday meal. She today requested my previous post – Salmon & Salsa. However, perhaps this will be not he menu after tonight?

Serve with your preference of bread. Toasted pitta, flatbreads, warm sourdough chunks…anything to scoop up those gooey yolks.

Serves 2 (greedily for dinner, 4 for brunch with bread)

  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped
  • 1-2 green chillis, sliced
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 leeks, sliced thinly
  • 150g “ish” spinach leaves (this was a guess…it was just enough to fill my pan!)
  • 100g peas (frozen, blanched in hot water)
  • 4 free range eggs
  • 1/2 packet feta cheese
  • 1 lemon, zest (wedges for serving)
  • 1 small handful coriander, leaves chopped finely
  • 1 small handful dill, chopped finely
  • Sumac to serve
  • Pita/flatbreads/toasted chunky bread to serve for “scooping”
  1. heat a large fry pan and toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove from the pan and crush in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
  2. Heat some olive/sunflower/rapeseed oil in a large frying pan (never extra virgin oil! Do not cook with this ever, a post to follow on this). Add the spring onions and soften for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry gently careful not to catch/burn the garlic.
  3. Add the cumin and coriander mix. Stir to combine.
  4. Add the chopped leeks and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a gentle temperature and let the leeks soften down for about 10-15 minutes until beginning to caramelise. Add a lid if you like to help them along.
  5. Add the spinach leaves and toss with the leeks and allow these to wilt with the heat. Add the peas.
  6. When the spinach is wilted, make 4 wells inside the mixture. Crack your eggs carefully into each well and reduce the heat a little. Eggs need long and slow cooking! Season the eggs and then let them gently cook. Cover with a lid or foil towards the end to help the whites along their way.
  7. Whilst the eggs cook, get all your garnish ready if you haven’t already so you can serve immeidaelyy.
  8. The eggs are ready when the whites are just beginning to set on top and the yolks are still runny. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle over the coriander, dill, lemon zest, feta and finally a pinch of sumac over each yolk.
  9. Serve immediately with your warm bread and a wedge of lemon!

Gooey, runny, sumac and dill sprinkled yolks. Food porn.

Chilli Avocado & Sumac Poached Eggs

T

his post is hardly a ‘recipe’ and at the risk of sounding pretentious, it’s hardly cooking. Pouch an egg, toast some bread and mash an avocado. If you’ve not nailed that one yet then this is the blog post for you (and guaranteed to woo any dates the morning after!). You can’t go anywhere for brunch these days, particularly in London, without the avocado on toast making a headlining appearance. And I’m one of the many who craves this in an cafe at the weekend whilst also being one that knows very well it can be eaten and thrown together quicker and significantly cheaper in the comforts of your own home. I’m sure we’ve all experienced a promising ‘smashed avo on toast’ (usually with a £3 side of ‘seeds’…yes seeds) only to find it bland, under seasoned and in need of a hearty splash of lemon.

So…make it at home! Here are my tips for my personal perfect recipe. Interchangable depending on taste but the basics are here. Excuse my ugly poached egg but as my mother always told me, its what on the inside that counts. And as long as its molten orange yolk then it can look as ugly as a…..*use imagination*.

With my conscious risk of again sounding pretentious, I’ve used some common ingredients here. I’ll admit its nothing original. But there’s a reason it on those brunch menus. Its yummy!

Ingredients – Serves 2

  • 2 slices of bread, toasted (Your choice. Rye and sourdough being my favourite – must be smeared with smashed avo to the very edges – cafe pet hate)
  • 4 eggs, fresh, room temperature
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp chilli flakes
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch coriander, chopped
  • Approx 2 heaped tbsp mixed seeds (e.g. pumpkin, sesame, sunflower) – toasted lightly for a few minutes in a hot pan until beginning to pop.
  • 1 tsp sumac
  1. Cut your avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. Smash with a fork into a bowl.
  2. Add the juice of 1 lime, the chilli flakes, spring onions and coriander. Season well with salt and pepper and smash all together. Taste, adding more lime/seasoning if needed.
  3. Bring a pan of water to the simmer. Poach your eggs (suggested 2 at a time depending on pan size) for a few minutes until the whites have set and the yolks are still runny.
  4. While poaching, toast your bread.
  5. Slather the smashed avocado between the 2 toast slices. Scatter over the toasted seeds.
  6. When the eggs are ready, pat dry any excess water on some kitchen towel then immediately sit on top of the toast and avo.
  7. Scatter the eggs with a grinding of pepper and a spindle of sumac
  8. Serve immediately while still warm and yolks runny.

 

 

Coconut-nut Granola with Cacao Nibs

jess-granola2

A

fter my last bounty of coconut goodies from ‘Coconut Collaborative’ I didn’t think I could get any better. Until….a box of samples arrived from the lovely Kiwi people on the other side of the globe at ‘Lovingearth‘. Theres nothing quite like the excitement of a DHL parcel sitting patiently outside your door when you get home especially when you know it contains delicious offerings. A mix of wonderful raw chocolate, raw ingredients and most importantly coconut based products, Lovingearth has an exceptionally focussed and wholesome philosophy. So apologies to the regular readers of ‘forage in the pantry.’ who know my love of coconut but it is indeed one of my favourites. So when I saw the coconut sugar, oil and a bounty of nuts I thought some cheeky granola was in order. Coconut-nut granola with some bitter cacao nibs to fuel the coldest or wettest of November London mornings.

I’ve used a range of Loving Earth’s ingredients here but sub in and out what you want and what takes your fancy.

Makes 1 batch

jess-coconutgranola2

jess-granola3

jess-granola4

A little side note on some of these raw and new (for some) ingredients. I’ll admit, I didn’t have the faintest idea where coconut sugar actually came from until I headed over to the Loving Earth website. So I also recommend taking a look at their page on product info if you’re curious.

Coconut Sugar – made from the coconut palm blossoms believe it or not. From the sap of the cut flower buds! Nutritionally it has a naturally low Glycemic Index which means it releases energy slower in the body unlike honey etc. Its been used as a natural sweetener historically and has a rich toffee-like flavour which makes an amazing 1:1 swap in baking for another level of flavour. Try flapjack, coconut loaf or brownies as an example!

Coconut Oil – the pressed oil from the coconut meat itself!

Cacao Nibs – even better for you than dark chocolate and packed FULL of antioxidants. Cacao nibs are derived from cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks, and broken into smaller pieces.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with a sheet of parchment.
  2. Mix the oats, nuts, coconut, sugar, almonds, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Melt the coconut oil and honey in a large pan until melted fully and combined. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
  4. Pour the warm syrup over the oats and stir thoroughly to combine ensuring all the dry mixture is coated.
  5. Spread out evenly on the baking tray. use the biggest tray you can. You don’t want the granola to be in a thick layer – use two trays if needed.
    bake for 20 minutes, giving it a good mix half way through.
  6. Once baked, leave to cool, untouched. Once cool it will crisp up and you can stir through your dry additional ingredients – cacao nibs and raisins here.
  7. Store in an airtight container and use to scatter over your yoghurt or fruit.

jess-coconutgranola3

Marmite Bread

Jess - Marmite bread

 

L

ove it or hate it bread perhaps would be a more fitting name? Now if like my family you’re partial to the odd toasted crumpet with marmite then you’ll understand the inspiration behind this bread. A rival to match an English muffin with soft poached egg is an airy warm and marmite covered crumpet with its pillowy wholes allowing the unctuous yolk to ooz through the gaps. So why not make use it in bread?

And trust me, if you’re a ‘love it’ personality then simply the act of toasting a cheeky slice of this hearty bread invites an aroma throughout the house that will have your most mature cheddar running from the fridge, willing at mercy to be sliced and lathered onto this tempting creation…..don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Jess - Marmite bread 5Jess - Marmite bread 3

Makes 1 loaf

  • 480g brown wholemeal strong bread flour
  • 40g molasses
  • 7g dried yeast
  • Large pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp marmite
  1. Start by combining the flour, a large pinch of salt and the molasses in the bowl of a food processor and blend until combined.
  2. Measure out 100ml of warm water and mix in the yeast, whisking until combined and fully dissolved.
  3. Add this to the mixer with another 200ml of water or so and mix until just combined.
  4. Add the marmite and pulse until incorporated
  5. Tip the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead for a good 10-15 minutes until the dough is springy, elastic and soft.
  6. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and place in a warm place until double in size (around 2 hours). I like to turn the oven on low before beginning the recipe then switch it off when its warm and this way it creates an ideal environment for the first prove.
  7. Once doubled in size, turn out onto a floured surface and knock out the air. Knead again for about 5 minutes before shaping into an oblong and placing in a greased loaf tin. Prove again until doubled in size.
  8. Preheat the oven to 180°C when ready to bake and bake the loaf for about 35-40 minutes until cooked and hollow sounding when tapped on the base. Leave to cool before slicing.

You can certainly be creative on the options for serving this bread! Toasted topped with smashed avocado and a soft poached egg as done here, or for a more decadent choice butter the outside of two slices and fill with grated mature cheddar and griddle in a pan or on a panini maker until toasted and melted.

Jess - Marmite bread 4

Breakfast Granola

image

There is ALWAYS a jar of this in our cupboard, except this morning when we ran out…… a small tantrum was thrown before butter, oats and honey were scavenged from the pantry and a batch was in and baking before you could say ‘granola!’. This sweet jar of toasty crumbs is perfect for topping yoghurt, fruit salad, compote or just simply with milk. Its delicious and is free for adaptation depending on what your shelves depict and what your taste buds request…

  • 250g oats
  • 50g sunflower seeds
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 50g flaked almonds
  • Handful of mixed nuts (I use chopped walnuts/hazelnuts)
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • Handful of dried fruit i.e.cranberries, blueberries, raisins, apricots etc
  • 5 tbsp runny honey
  • 50g unsalted butter
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl except the dried fruit, butter and honey
  2. Melt the butter and honey in a saucepan until liquid
  3. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix
  4. Place on a lined baking tray and spread out thinly
  5. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180°C turning every 5 minutes to get an even bake
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Don’t worry, once it cools, it will crisp up.
  7. Once cool, mix in the dried fruit and store in an air-tight container where it will keep for weeks!